Sculpture in the Garden Show

Although I usually busy myself as a private dealer in self-taught art, one weekend a year I completely step out of the box. This weekend will be the 17th annual Sculpture in the Garden Show and tag sale on the grounds of the gallery in Woodbridge. Artists who morph recycled materials, junk yard finds, old tools, stone and wood, into objects of delight and desire, have started to pull up in their ancient trucks. Some neighbors shudder, but most are as excited as I am, and certainly the kids on the street are already buzzing. They love to see the life sized horses, six foot tall sunflowers, robots, crazy birds, and kinetic sculptures which show up. This year four new artists have been discovered and the show is always a fun visit for the entire family. As I'm part of CT Open House Day on June 9th, the first day of the show,  I will be giving away art and auction catalogues, food magazines and novels to the first 75 visitors. Prepared to be amazed!
The show opens at 9 am on Saturday morning and runs until 4 pm through the weekend.

Gift of a Century: Petullo Collection to Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee collector Anthony Petullo has made a gift to the Milwaukee Art Museum of over 200 pieces of self-taught art, making this institution the holder of the largest collection of this type of art in the United States. These wondrous works are in a show entitled "Accidental Genius" and they will be punctuated with lectures, films, and parties through May 6th.
As a guest in Mr. Petullo's home, I can attest to the magnificence of his vision and his collection. He has included in his gift, masters, such as Bill Traylor, Anna Zemanokova and Adolf Wolfli, as well as works, lesser known, but equally worthy of contemplation.
On Thursday, March 22, the Museum will host a discussion concerning what the meaning of and the problems are with the terms Self-taught, Naive and Outsider. Lisa Stone (curator at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago), Jane Kallir (co-director of Galerie St. Etienne, NYC) and Margaret Andrea ( curator of the exhibition) will be the panelists.

image by Carlo Zinelli

Laura James: Praying Out Loud

With an Antiguan heritage and a love of subject matter, both secular and religious, self-taught artist Laura James has made quite a splash in the art world. In the year 2000, she completed thirty four images commissioned by the Catholic Church for their new version of The Book of Gospels. Each of these inclusive and magnificent paintings, which were first on display at the Divinity School at Yale University in New Haven, CT, have been sold. So have all her works in a series called Nannies and Other Mothers.

A new body of work featuring goddesses, such as the revered Mami Wata, and guardian angels, has just been delivered to the gallery and will be here through July. This is a rare opportunity to see an entire body of Laura James' paintings, and her elegant presentation copy of The Book of Gospels will be on display during this show.

Building Upon Building.....

Eric Rosner's art work has captured New York's architecture in it's earliest days, when no detail was left to chance and buildings were embellished like wedding cakes. He has preserved this elegant past for the last 20 years in both ink drawings and canvas prints, so the history of this beloved city will live on beyond the crumbling facades of today. In Rosner's own words, "I find myself thinking of all the people who have graced this grand Metropolis and these buildings have housed them all. Whether it was epic business transactions, stunning scientific discoveries or grand entertainment showcasing, the city of New York has a unique tale of histories. With my artwork, I hope you can imagine a stunning time period over a century ago when the imagination ran wild and magnificent structures soared to the sky. "

Sometimes, Rosner's work can be seen executed on the outside of the buildings as well as inside them. His work has been shown at the Affordable Art Fair, the Tribeca Lounge and the Argos Tea House in NY and recently at the Chelsea Hotel. This self-taught artist recently decided to sell his original artworks. Pieces range from 6" x 6" to 60" x 60". I cannot imagine living in a New York apartment without one of these very prepossessing works on the wall. Any one of these drawings would have been the perfect cover for Joseph Mitchell's "Up In The Old Hotel", one of my favorite books.

Anyone Can Dine With the Queen

Therese James has a zest for life paired with a sense of humor, which is evident in each of her paintings. Her work would be considered Naive, and since 1993 she has given in to a compulsion to paint full time. She records scenes of everyday life with an unbounded joy which makes the viewer feel like jumping in to join the fun. Therese gets much of her inspiration from the places and literature of her native Wales and the West Country.

According to her bio, "Relying purely on an instinctive approach to her art she has developed her own style with representative characters who inhabit the world of her paintings." A simple seashore scene, double decker red busses in traffic, or even a family sharing their Christmas dinner with the Queen (on TV of course), become fodder for a new painting. Her subjects move at angles and dance across the canvas in a dizzying tango. Her work can be seen in galleries throughout the UK and she is represented in the Affordable Art Fairs by Wren Fine Art, and was selected for the prestigious "Artist of the Year" award.

Perry Morgan lives, loves, and paints New Orleans

Savannah, Ga. born artist, Perry Morgan 111, has an MA in psychology and is a winner of the Absolute Vodka Art Search. He has successfully owned an art gallery on Magazine Street, a very well known New Orleans haunt, and he's employed as an artist by the House of Blues, which boasts the largest folk and self-taught collection in the US. Quite a varied resume!

Mr. Morgan has worked in clay, assemblage, painted silk, canvas, and wood. He paints his own frames and has a friend construct them. His works clearly reflect the melting pot that is New Orleans, and the joyfulness of his immersion in the music, art and architecture there is apparent. I will let these very appealing works speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Iranian Woman Artist, despite all odds......

When a sixty year old Iranian woman, named Akram Sarkhti, illiterate, traditional, and in an arranged marriage, finds a way to create art, we all must applaud. She started painting ten years ago and poignantly portrays her hard life, her remembered childhood and all her dreams of a better future. Fortunately she has a benefactor in the name of Rokhsareh Ghaema, who is making a documentary film about Akram and trying to find a European venue in which to have an exhibition of this remarkable body of work. The film maker can be reached at the following e-mail address if any of you can help to facilitate this process. "Roxareh@yahoo.ca"

Akram was married to a 30 year old man when she was 9 years old, and her husband did not allow her to go to school. She painted to calm herself and when her son found the paintings he was astonished. Some of the work has been sold to the Tehran Contemporary Art Museum, but need to be seen by a wider audience.

The three images I have chosen to post are called My Engagement Day, My Wedding Day, and Conversation. How easily we take for granted our freedoms, and how painful to hear of our sisters in foreign lands living a feudal life in the 21st century. Two of my next door neighbors, who are women from Iran, are both highly educated and are medical doctors. A flip of the penny.......

Sculpture in the Garden Show, 2010

It's almost time! Kids are getting restless, their parents are eyeing their gardens, searching for an empty, but deserving spot. Childless collectors practice their best "I've just come to look" faces, and the fun begins! The annual Sculpture in the Garden Show featuring works of art made from recycled materials and junk yard finds, is almost upon us. Here's a sneak peek at the ad which will be published in the stunning and delightful international art magazine called Raw Vision. The issue will be out in May, the dates to hold are Saturday and Sunday, June 12th and 13th. Collectors with flashlights who show up Friday night, please try to wait your turn! You know who you are!

My friend the very accomplished hooker......

Article from Hand/Eye

Article from Hand/Eye Magazine:"It's not what you think: Leslie Giuliani hooks rugs with a contemporary folk feel.One of the best things about being a rug hooker is telling people you are a “Hooker.” You get a laugh every time. I have been hooking for about 20 years now, having learned the craft in a continuing education class at a local high school. I have knit and sewn my whole life, and have a BFA in painting. Pictoral rug hooking brings my worlds of “art” and “craft” together. Although I have hooked many rugs for the floor, I enjoy making pictoral pieces for the wall. Changing the context from utility to decorative arts allows viewers to take their time and look at the image at eye level, to get to see the nuances of the craft more closely. traditional craft of rug hooking creates rugs by simply pulling loops of yarn or cut strips of fabric through a stiff woven base material such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. You only have to master one stitch: very simple. The backing is stretched over a frame or is hooped to maintain a tight, flat working area. The rug is worked in sections by re-stretching the backing to expose the next working area. The loops are pulled through the backing material using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. All loops and strip ends are pulled to the top side to keep the underside free from snags and to allow it to be durable, since rugs are meant to be walked on. It’s the sheer density of the loops that keeps the rug together." You can read the rest of this article when you click on the link. Congratulations Leslie!It's not what you think: Leslie Giuliani hooks rugs with a contemporary folk feel.One of the best thingsabout being a rug hookeare a “Hooker.” You get a laugh every time. I have been hooking for about 20 years now, having learned the craft in a continuing education class at a local high school. I have knit and sewn my whole life, and have a BFA in painting. Pictoral rug hooking brings my worlds of “art” and “craft” together. Although I have hooked many rugs for the floor, I enjoy making pictoral pieces for the wall. Changing the context from utility to decorative arts allows viewers to take their time and look at the image at eye level, to get to see the nuances of the craft more closely. traditional craft of rug hooking creates rugs by simply pulling loops of yarn or cut strips of fabric through a stiff woven base material such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. You only have to master one stitch: very simple. The backing is stretched over a frame or is hooped to maintain a tight, flat working area. The rug is worked in sections by re-stretching the backing to expose the next working area. The loops are pulled through the backing material using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. All loops and strip ends are pulled to the top side to keep the underside free from snags and to allow it to be durable, since rugs are meant to be walked on. It’s the sheer density of the loops that keeps the rug together." You can read the rest of this article when yArticle from Hand/Eye Magazine:"It's not what you think: Leslie Giuliani hooks rugs with a contemporary folk feel.One of the best things about being a rug hooker is telling people you are a “Hooker.” You get a laugh every time. I have been hooking for about 20 years now, having learned the craft in a continuing education class at a local high school. I have knit and sewn my whole life, and have a BFA in painting. Pictoral rug hooking brings my worlds of “art” and “craft” together. Although I have hooked many rugs for the floor, I enjoy making pictoral pieces for the wall. Changing the context from utility to decorative arts allows viewers to take their time and look at the image at eye level, to get to see the nuances of the craft more closely. traditional craft of rug hooking creates rugs by simply pulling loops of yarn or cut strips of fabric through a stiff woven base material such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. You only have to master one stitch: very simple. The backing is stretched over a frame or is hooped to maintain a tight, flat working area. The rug is worked in sections by re-stretching the backing to expose the next working area. The loops are pulled through the backing material using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. All loops and strip ends are pulled to the top side to keep the underside free from snags and to allow it to be durable, since rugs are meant to be walked on. It’s the sheer density of the loops that keeps the rug together." You can read the rest of this article when you click on the link. Congratulations Leslie!Article from Hand/Eye Magazine:"It's not what you think: Leslie Giuliani hooks rugs with a contemporary folk feel.One of the best things about being a rug hooker is telling people you are a “Hooker.” You get a laugh every time. I have been hooking for about 20 years now, having learned the craft in a continuing education class at a local high school. I have knit and sewn my whole life, and have a BFA in painting. Pictoral rug hooking brings my worlds of “art” and “craft” together. Although I have hooked many rugs for the floor, I enjoy making pictoral pieces for the wall. Changing the context from utility to decorative arts allows viewers to take their time and look at the image t eye level, to get to see the nuances of the craft more closely. The traditional craft of rug hooking creates rugs by simply pulling loops of yarn or cut strips of fabric through a stiff woven base material such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. You only have to master one stitch: very simple. The backing is stretched over a frame or is hooped to maintain a tight, flat working area. The rug is worked in sections by re-stretching the backing to expose the next working area. The loops are pulled through the backing material using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. All loops and strip ends are pulled to the top side to keep the underside free from snags and to allow it to be durable, since rugs are meant to be walked on. It’s the sheer density of the loops that keeps the rug together." You can read the rest of this article when you click on the link. Congratulations Leslie!

From Intuit, a new and very important exhibition

The Treasure of Ulysses Davis

February 12, 2010 - May 15, 2010
Opening Reception: Friday, February 12, 5-8pm

The Treasure of Ulysses Davis debuted at the High Museum in Atlanta and traveled to the American Folk Art Museum in New York and the Menello Museum of Art in Florida, before arriving in Chicago. Organized by Susan Crawley of the High Museum of Art in collaboration with the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation of Savannah, Georgia, this retrospective features about 109 pieces, including 78 from the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation, which acquired most of Davis’s work after he died, fulfilling his desire to keep his corpus intact. The title comes from Davis’s explanation of why he disliked parting with his work: “They’re my treasure. If I sold these, I’d be really poor." The exhibition will increase public knowledge of and appreciation for the work of this much admired but rarely seen sculptor.

Laura N. James, praying out loud

With an Antiguan heritage and a love for detail and storytelling, in the year 2000, Laura N. James made a spectacular group of paintings for a Book of Gospels , for the Roman Catholic Church. There is a diverse cast of characters represented, of all shades and nationalities, and the artwork is gorgeous! But this young New Yorker also paints Jazz figures which seduce the eye with their colors and movement, and her series, "Nannies and Other Mothers" grabs at your heart. Women who leave their own families far behind to come to the United States to care for the children of others is a powerful and often neglected subject. She handles it with a grace and compassion for all involved and the paintings are luscious.

Self-taught and Outa' Sight.....Gale Hart

Gale Hart is a Renaissance type of gal. She paints, she sculpts, she makes furniture of the edgiest kind. All this despite a real problem with dsylexia, which she has never let get her down. I would toss out everything I own and let her redesign all I have and use, were money no object. Not that her works are out of sight, price wise. To the contrary, they are very reasonably priced......it's the shipping of large crates of the stuff which would slow me down. If you're anywhere near Sacramento this weekend, go to A Bitchin' Space and see what I mean. Just don't tell me if you' ve bought anything......I'd be too envious to hear about it!

Unexpected art, assemblages, and paintings by Canadian artist

This Canadian artist, who is equally at home with paint as she is with assemblages, once lived in Florida. I wish I had know her then, when my life was bringing me there several times a year. Carmen Hickson was a self-taught artist, who now has "three years of commercial art school" under her belt. She has remained true to herself and to her voice and she exhibits quite a talent. Recently she was successful in Canada's largest juried art show held in Toronto. This is work I'd love to see in person one day. Click on the title of this piece and it will bring you to her website. Be sure to check out her paintings, which are as magical as are the assemblages.

Vernissage for Helga Hornung

Ottobeuren

Ausstellung im Rahmen der Ottobeurer Konzerte

im Haus des Gastes

Helga Hornung & Philipp Reisacher

“Weiter als der Horizont”

Zum Konzertwochenende 60 Jahre Basilikakonzerte

www.ottobeuren.de

Vernissage: Freitag 18. Sept. 2009 19.30 Uhr

Im Dialog mit den Künstlern, Bernd Schäfer (Bürgermeister Ottobeuren)

Musik: Reinhard Reißner (Klassische Gitarre )

19. und 20. Sept. von 10.00 bis 18.00 Uhr

Helga Hornung

Phantasie und Traumwesen die beflügeln und den Betrachter verzaubern.

Bilderbuchreihe “ Derkleine Lalu” www.helga-hornung.de

Philipp Reisacher

steht mitden Füssen auf der Erde, mit dem Herzen hängt ersich in den Himmel

Cornelia Kleybolt, M.A. www.ph-reisacher.de

Intuit's newest program........bring your own popcorn

Tattoo Flash and Circus Banners Intuit will host a panel discussion with experts on tattoo history and circus banners and performers. The panelists are Freaks & Flash co-curator, Anna Friedman Herlihy; Amelia Klem Osterud, author of the forthcoming book The Tattooed Lady: A History (Nov. 2009, Speck Press); and former circus traveler turned artist, Glen Davies. This talk is free and open to the public.

Before he was Paul........

Connecticut artist, Paul Pitt is known for his folk art paintings of scenes from a gentler time, populated with up to 250 men, women, children and animals. And always there are two running boys, one Black and one White, one of whom is wearing the ever present red scarf. But searching through an old barn this week, Paul's first efforts were rediscovered. These vintage paintings, over 30 years old, are much different from the idyllic scenes for which Paul Pitt is well known. The earlier works have an appeal all to themselves so I've decided to share them with you. Tell me what you think!

A link in the title will bring you to Paul's work as it is recognized today. He is in many permanent museum collections and his work has been on the cover of quite a few magazines. The older works are now available for purchase.

Duck, duck, duck, tape!

According to Marshall McLuhan, "art is anything you can get away with", and Pete Warburton's show at the University of Michigan's Taubman Health Center, is proof! Don't get me wrong, this clever work is definitely art, and successful art at that. Warburton utilizes an unusual art material called duck tape, which is ordinarily used for many types of painting and fix it yourself projects. In this artist's hands, the lowly material becomes so much more. "Night Route to Gallium" is proof of his talent. Click on the title and read more about this exceptional artist. Or contact him directly at haloclub@netscape.net

Afghani Tribal clothing

The Brimfield Antique and Collectable Show is so vast, that even thought I've been walking through the fields there for decades, there are some that I've yet to visit. This year the new field to explore, after trudging through the opening of Central Field, and Faxton's Midway, was New England Motel. Although I had to pay to enter, (the other fields I visited that day were free) and it didn't feel too promising at first, further in there were some real treasures on display. Many of the booths were set up in quite a formal fashion, much like an upscale indoor show. At the back of one of these spaces was an Afghani Tribal dress or shirt, I'm not sure which. The hem was made of many many layers of added material so the result was a delightful ruffled effect.
The Yoke and shoulders were festooned with all types of decoration. Handmade metal and silver jewelry, buttons and old coins embellished the lively tribal fabric. I asked, he offered, I recounted, he made a phone call to his wife, and it was mine! I may offer it at the Sculpture Show coming up in a few weeks, or it might visit with me for a while. It's a real beauty!

On the road to Brimfield......

Cher Shaffer from Appalachia, not only paints wonderful portraits, she also creates dolls which are sophisticated and charming. Here are three which might show up at the Brimfield Show next week in Massachusetts. If you've never attended, this is a show for the entire family. Over 6,000 dealers in farmer's fields stretching over 1 1/2 miles along Route 20 in Brimfield, MA. show up from Tuesday through Saturday, three times a year for a week of antiques, folk art, pottery, jewelry, furniture from all periods, collectibles, and stuffed chickens, I kid you not! Everything under the sun is displayed here, and many collections have been built from discoveries in these fields. One of my cousins, whose home has been featured in county living books, filled her rooms over the years with Brimfield finds. You and your kids will love this adventure. Bring water, hats, cell phones, a bag to put treasures in, and wear comfortable shoes. Sturbridge Village is 5 miles away....another must stop for the family. Let the collecting begin!

Just couldn't resist......

Taken from the site of this trained artist......but I couldn't resist! "Steve Bartlett grew up in Louisville, KY and graduated from Kenyon College with a B.A. in Art. Prior to painting, Steve sculpted small interior to large-scale outdoor stainless steel works. His art is in the public collections of Neiman Marcus, Continental Airlines, The Port of San Diego, The City of Los Altos, and Adobe Systems, as well as in numerous private collections. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Lora and their three furry friends." What fun!